Under All Conditions
by You've Got Wings Baby
Summary: Lorelai doesn't forget to go help Luke paint in Christopher Returns. What happens when Luke and Lorelai's feelings for each other come out, but Lorelai makes a shocking discovery? JJ, AU. Rating is for safety. Complete.
1. Pansies

A/N: This takes place around the episode "Christopher Returns." Lorelai didn't forget to go to Luke's to help him paint. Curious things ensue...

Disclaimer: With the acception of a coat and pencil, I own nothing.

**Under All Conditions**

Chapter 1

"Hey, Luke, sorry I'm late. I got caught up at the parent's house for a little longer than I expected," I said as I walked into the diner, remembering the events of that night.

"It's okay. It just gave me more time to get set up. Want a beer?" Luke said to me.

"Gladly." I would've accepted anything to help me forget what I had just done with Christopher.

_**Flashback**_

"Do you regret it?" Chris asked me as we stood in my old room, after the "shmutzing" was over.

"Hell, yeah, I regret it. That was possibly the most stupid thing we have ever done."

"Why?"

""Why, what?"

"Why was it so stupid?"

"Because, Chris, it's you and me. Nothing good ever comes from you and me."

"I see how it is."

From that point on, Christopher hadn't talked to me for the rest of the night. He even turned down my offer to stay the rest of the night and went straight back to his place in the middle of the night.

_End Flashback_

"So, what happened?" Luke asked, bringing me out of my daze.

"What do you mean?"

"Why the dire need for the beer?"

I took a swig before answering. "Chris happened."

"Oh."

Silence ensued for what seemed like an eternity. Luke always seemed to silence himself when the mention of another man in my life came up. I always thought it was because he wanted to give me my privacy, but I started having second thoughts about it the other day. We were behind the counter, hiding from Taylor and I just know something more would've happened if my better judgment hadn't come into play. There was something about the look in his eyes that made me shiver. It was a good shiver, though. It made me feel comfortable and safe. And those lips. God, those lips, so sexy. Ever since that night, I'd been having trouble looking Luke straight in the eye. But I made him a promise, so I went to help him paint anyway.

"So, where do you want to start?" I asked, trying to break the silence as best I could.

"Well, are you sure you want to paint in those clothes?"

"Oh, right. I'll just run home and change real quick."

"No, no, I'm sure I've got something you could borrow."

"Are you sure you wouldn't mind?"

"Positive."

"Ok, thanks."

Luke went upstairs to get me some clothes, and I migrated from my spot by a table, over to the very place his father had written that order so many years ago. It was sweet how that grumpy diner owner could be so sentimental sometimes. I ran my fingers over the words, and remembered that night vividly. Oh, how I wanted to kiss him so badly.

Just then, Luke walked into the diner with my clothes, catching me looking at the words fondly. He didn't say it, but I now he knew exactly what I was thinking about.

"Here's your clothes," he said, trying desperately to avoid my eyes.

"Thanks."

"You can, uh, change upstairs… in my apartment. It's unlocked."

"Thanks."

I went upstairs and changed, and came back down, only to find Luke doing the same thing I was, running his fingertips over the hastily written order. Only this time, I couldn't tell if he was remembering our pew moments together, or the years he spent with his father. I almost wish I could've known him. Luke talks about him so fondly.

He looked up to find me staring at him.

"I, uh, had to tie the pants up with a rubberband," I said, startled by the brief moment our eyes had met.

"That's fine. So, shall we?" he asked, handing me a roller from off the counter.

"We shall." And the night began.

tbc

Thanks for reading chapter one! Remember, reviews are much appreciated!


	2. Tulips

Chapter 2

We only had one wall left, and everything seemed to be going very well. There were a few of those questionable glances that made you wonder what the other was thinking about, but it was mostly completely normal. We chatted and bantered just like normal.

"So, wanna attack the last wall together?" I asked, through a yawn.

"Yeah, the sooner we finish, the sooner we can get to bed."

"Dirty!"

"Aw, geez."

Then, he looked me in the eyes again. Every time I caught sight of those big blues, they seemed so full of meaning and wonder. I couldn't stand it any longer, so I just had to ask.

"What are you thinking about?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. It just seems like you're thinking about something."

"Oh, well, yeah. I guess I am."

"Well, come on then, out with it."

"I was just thinking about… No, never mind. You don't care."

"Yes, I do. Come on, please tell me?" If he was thinking about what I thought he was thinking about, I really, really cared.

"Fine." That's right. It's now or never, Danes. "I was thinking about the other night," he said so fast, I almost couldn't understand him.

"What about the other night?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Well, uh, I, uh… Do you think something else would've happened, if, you know, you didn't leave?"

"Something… like, uh, what?" We were painting so close together now, it was almost unbearable. I could feel the heat radiating off of his body.

"Something… like this," he said, as he leaned in and softy brushed his lips against mine. I dropped my paint roller and heard it crash to the ground as I reached my arms around his neck to deepen the kiss. I had just been doing this same thing (except, on a little more elevated level) a few hours ago, but this seemed so much more comfortable, so much more right.

The need for air became evident to both of us, so we pulled away at the same time.

"Wow," I said, as I stared into his eyes once more, however, this time, I knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Yeah, wow." And we locked lips again.

After a few more minutes of bliss, we got back to painting in a comfortable silence. Once we were all finished, we got to cleaning up. I looked down, and noticed that the paint roller I had dropped on the ground had made a huge paint spot right in front of the door.

"Whoops."

"What?"

"Uh, look," I said, pointing to my mistake.

"Oh. How did that happen?"

"Uh, when I, uh, with the roller… and the then the arms, and I-"

"Right," he said, as what I was talking about donned on him. "That's ok. I can try to get it up, but if it's already dried, it'll just be a reminder."

"Ha, yeah. I guess it would be." We shared a long gaze, as we remembered those perfect moments. "Well, I should probably be getting home. Wouldn't want Rory to worry."

"Oh, it's kinda late." I had just noticed the time. Was it really 3 in the morning already? "You could just stay here and call to tell Rory where you'll be."

"Yeah, that sounds like a better idea," I said, excited at the prospect of staying with Luke a little longer. "I'll just call her right now."

"Ok. I'll go get things ready upstairs," Luke said, as he disappeared behind the curtain and into the apartment.

"Hello?" I heard my daughter's groggy voice answer.

"Hey, kid. Sorry for waking you."

"Mom? Where are you?"

"I'm still at Luke's. It took a little longer than expected, so I'm just gonna stay the night here. Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah, yeah, that's fine. You sound abnormally happy."

"Do I?" I said, knowing exactly what she was talking about.

"Mom! What happened?"

"Another story, for another time. I'll see you in the waking hours!"

"Mom!"

"Bye, Rory!"

"Bye, Mom."

We hung up, and I headed upstairs. When I got there, I saw Luke, sound asleep on the couch. I couldn't help but smile as he softy snored the night away. I went over and gave him a little kiss on he forehead before collapsing on his bed that he had so kindly made up for me. I knew at that moment that this would be the best night's sleep I'd have for a very long time.

Tbc

Ok, so that's chapter 2. Don't get used to updates this soon. It's just because it's the weekend. During the week, there'll probably be only one, maybe two updates. Hope you're enjoying! Don't forget to review!

By the way, I was just wondering, if Barbie is so popular, why do we have to buy all of her friends?


	3. Daisies

Chapter 3

Two weeks had gone by without a hitch. My relationship with Luke stayed secret, except to Rory and Sookie so as to keep that great, new feeling away from the prying eyes of Stars Hollow. Luke was a perfect gentleman, if you know what I mean, much to my dismay.

One night, about two and a half weeks after that fateful night, Luke had come over to cook Rory and me some dinner. He felt it was very important to include Rory some of the time, since she was my daughter, therefore, a very important part of me, therefore, a very important part of us.

"Here ya go. I don't know how you like it, so I just left the seasoning up to you," Luke said, as he placed a plate of spaghetti in front of me and Rory.

"Thanks. Pass the parmesan, babe?"

"Who are you talking to?" Rory asked, still giddy about the inevitable relationship.

"Well, my Lukey, of course."

"Gee, thanks, Mommie Dearest. Don't I feel neglected."

"Oh, now, don't worry. I'll still provide you with the necessities. You know, roof over your head, a pair of shoes here and there, bread, water…"

"Ugh…"

I took a bite of the heavenly Italian cuisine sitting before me, and suddenly, it began to taste not so heavenly. I got extremely nauseous, and ran to the bathroom as fast as I could.

"What's wrong with her?" Luke asked, obviously concerned.

"I don't know. She's been feeling a little sick lately. I'm starting to worry about her."

"I'm sure she'll be fine."

Luke walked into the bathroom to check on me. When he discovered that I was emptying the contents of my stomach into the toilet, he so chivalrously held my hair back.

"Thanks, Luke."

"No problem. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've probably just got a bug or something. I'm just gonna call it a night. Sorry I ruined dinner."

"No, no, it's all right. Don't worry about it."

"Thanks."

"Can I help you to your room?"

"Please."

Luke helped me stand up, and walked me into my bedroom. I sat down on my bed, ad hung my head low, still feeling a little sick.

"Do you have any pajamas I can get out for you?"

"Yeah, bottom drawer. Get the purple ones, please."

"Here."

"Thanks, again. Can you send Rory up to say goodnight?"

"Of course. I'll see you tomorrow?" Luke said, more of a question than a statement.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be at the diner sometime tomorrow."

"Ok. I'll go get Rory."

"Thanks. And Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Stay and eat with her. I'm sure she'd really enjoy it."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Luke sent Rory up, and she cautiously entered my room, almost afraid to make my sickness worse. She looked at me with a concerned face, and sat down next to me. She swung a protective arm around my shoulders and asked what was wrong.

"I'm not sure. I think I might know, but I'm not positive."

"What?"

"I can't tell you right now, not with Luke still here. Come up after dinner?"

"Sure. Do you want me to wake you if you're asleep?"

"Yeah. Goodnight, babe."

"Hey, I thought Luke was babe."

"Only when he's in the room," I said, smiling for the first time in the last 15 minutes.

Rory went downstairs and ate with Luke. I'm sure they had a great time, because I heard their laughter from all the way up in my room. Rory even convinced Luke to watch a little C-SPAN before he left around 9 o'clock. As soon as the front door shut, I heard Rory run up the stairs and burst into my room.

"Rory! You scared the hell out of me!"

"Sorry. I've just been really worried about you all night."

"Well, calm down, or we're gonna have to get you some hypertension meds."

"Ok, I'm calm. Now, tell me what's going on."

I sat up, and motioned for Rory to sit next to me. I pulled my feet up to sit on top of them, and swung an arm around Rory's shoulders.

"Well, do you remember that night, around 2 weeks ago, when your dad was here?"

"Yeah, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, remember how we disappeared from the rest of the crowd at Friday night dinner for about 15 minutes?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Well, Barry Greenwich's baby isn't the only one who does the hanky panky."

"Oh my god! You slept with Dad?"

"Yeah, I did. We were both a little drunk, and we got caught up in the moment. Are you starting to put the pieces together here?"

"No. Wait… oh. Oh! Oh my god! Are you pregnant?" Rory exclaimed, standing up in shock.

I hung my head and covered my face with my hands. "I don't know. I could be. I probably am. I mean, yesterday, I ate an apple. The last time I ate an apple was when I was pregnant with you."

"Oh, wow. We have to find out. How do we find out?"

"Hon, I love that you are this innocent."

"What? Oh, right. We'd get a test. I'll go get one for you right now."

"No, that's all right. I'll just get one tomorrow. Besides, if anyone in this town found out that you bought a pregnancy test, Taylor would kick us out in 10 seconds flat, and it's too late to drive all the way out to Hartford."

"Ok. But get it first thing tomorrow. I really wanna know."

"Ok," I said, sullenly. Rory noticed this.

"Mom, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine… I'll _be_ fine."

Tbc

Read and Review!

Random Question: How do you draw a blank?


	4. Orchids

"Mom! Did you do it?" Rory asked as she rushed through the door the next day, after school.

"Yeah, I did it. It's not finished thought. I just did it about 5 minutes ago."

"How much longer will it take?"

"About ten minutes."

"Ok… Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you going to do if it's positive?" Rory asked me, as she sat next to me on the couch.

"I really don't know, hon. I mean, I know I'm going to keep it. There's no doubt about that. But, what I don't know, is how to tell Chris, and how to tell Luke, and how I'm supposed to take care of it, and how this will affect you… so many things are running through my head all at once and I don't know how to sort them out," I said, as tears began to form in my eyes.

"Oh, Mom, don't cry. It'll all be okay." Rory pulled me to her and hugged me close. "I'll always be here for you."

"Thanks, babe. You have no idea how much that means to me."

We sat in each other's arms for what seemed like forever. We were all each other needed. When my sobs began to let up, I stood and walked into the bathroom without a word, and Rory followed.

"This is it," I said, as I picked up the small white stick from the sink. "It's now or never."

Rory took hold of the hand that wasn't occupied by my future, our futures. My hand started to shake, and I couldn't uncover the tiny spot that held my destiny. I took a deep breath and was about to reveal the results, when I lost my nerve again.

"Just do it, Mom. We can handle it, whatever it is."

"Ok." Slowly, I moved my thumb from atop the word "pregnant" and sighed heavily. What we both already knew was true had been confirmed. I was pregnant with Christopher's child, again.

As tears began to form in my eyes, Rory's grip on my other hand only grew tighter. She knew what an impact this would have on both of us. "Do we need to pop Willy Wonka into the VCR?"

My daughter, a little piece of me. She always knows exactly how to cheer me up.

"Yeah, that'd be great. I'll go get it all set up. Why don't you go run to Luke's and get us some food?"

"Sure. I'll be right back… Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you want me to tell him if he asks how you're feeling?"

"Um… Tell him I'm feeling much better, and I'll call him later."

"Gotcha. I'll be right back.

Rory went and got the food and came back quickly. We had a wonderfully spectacular and amazing mother-daughter bonding night, as if we could bond any more than we already had.

The movie ended, and I turned the VCR and television off. We both just sat there in silence, staring at the blank television screen, trying to recover from laughing so much.

"That was great. We need to do that more often."

"Yeah, those stupid Friday night dinners are getting in the way of our mother-daughter time."

"Hon, if we have anymore mother-daughter time than we do now, we'd be Cheng and Eng," I said through a giggle.

"Yeah, I guess so."

We just sat silently for a little longer. Before we finally gave in to the late hour of the night and went our separate ways to bed, Rory caught me by surprise and finally asked, "What would you have done if it were negative?"

"Oh, I guess I would've just gone on with my life as normal, pretended it never happened."

"Right… Would you have been, I don't know, disappointed?"

"I never thought about that... Maybe… Probably. I mean, it would be nice to have a cute little baby around again, but, oh, I don't know."

"But what?"

"Nothing. You'll think I'm crazy."

"Too late. Out with it. But what?"

"But, it would've been perfect if it were with Luke. Now, since it's your dad's, we're both going to have to deal with tons of emotional baggage."

"That's really sweet. Luke makes you happy, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, he really does," I said, with a huge grin on my face, looking down bashfully. "It's late. We should both probably be heading to bed."

"Yeah. Night, Mom. I love you."

"G'Night. I love you too, babe.

**And chapter 4 is a wrap! Reviews are much appreciated! Even a little "good job" would satisfy me. The little purple button is calling!**

**Random Question: What color hair to bald men put down on their driver's licenses? **


	5. Chrysanthemums

Chapter 5

I lay in bed for what seemed like an eternity before I finally fell asleep. Pregnancy sure does some pretty strange things to your body as well as your head. I swear, there were never so many thoughts running through my head all at once than at that very moment. I couldn't sort anything out. All I knew was my life was officially over.

Chris would be mad at me, Luke would be mad at me, and the whole town would think I'm some sort of whore.

What worried me the most was Luke. We had such a good thing going, and now it would all be ruined. There was no way he would want to be with me anymore, after this. I couldn't bear the thought of the man I was beginning to love walking out of my life.

Staring at the ceiling started to get on my nerves, so I turned on my side. It was then that I saw the small purple flower I was drying that Luke gave me on out first official date. I got up, smelled the flower, and made a decision. I had to tell Luke right then. It was then or never.

I put a pair of shoes on a ran down the stairs and out the door and sprinted towards the diner, not even thinking of what Rory would think if she woke up and found me gone. About half way there, it started to rain, but I didn't care.

I finally got to the diner, soaking wet, and reached for the spare key above the door. It was 3:30 in the morning, but I didn't care. I tore through the diner, and up the stairs, and started ramming the door with my fist.

"What the hell? Who's there?" I heard Luke's groggy voice call.

"It's me," I said, now slightly embarrassed at the hour. I watched his figure through the window in the door as he made his way over to let me in. I started feeling horrible that I had gotten him up so early.

"What's going on? What are you doing here at… 3:30 in the morning?" he asked, glancing at the clock on the wall.

"I need to talk to you. It's really an emergency."

"Oh, ok, come on in." He led me to the couch, now with a concerned look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"I need to ask you something first."

"Sure, anything."

"And I want a straight answer."

"All right, what is it?"

I took a deep breath. Now or never. "I know this is really sudden, but….. Do you love me?"

"Yes." He said, without even thinking. I wasn't expecting his answer that quickly.

"That was fast. You don't even need to think about it?"

"Not at all, Lorelai, not at all."

"How long have you known?"

"Well, since I'm being honest, years."

"Years? How can you have known for years? We've only been dating for 3 weeks."

"I knew I felt something for you the day you came tearing in the diner about 4 years ago. But it was just a few months ago when I knew it was something more than just a feeling. I didn't think it was love yet, but the day in the diner when we almost kissed, I knew. I knew I had to do something to let you know, and now you do."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I didn't want to scare you off. I mean, it's not every day someone says something like that?"

"Something like what?" I asked, wanting to hear him say it himself.

"Something like… I love you," he said, with the most sincere look in his eyes, and I knew I believed him, and what's more, I loved him, too.

I launched myself towards him and kissed him harder than I'd ever kissed anyone in my entire life. I was a little less nervous to tell him about… my condition, now that I knew how he felt.

"Lorelai," he said, breaking the kiss when we both needed air, "what else did you come here for?"

Oh god, I had to tell him. I was shaking so hard, I thought I might pass out. "I have something I need to tell you," I said, looking into my lap, shyly.

"Okay, go ahead."

I didn't say anything.

He must've noticed ho nervous I was, because he encouraged me by saying, "It's okay, Lor, you can tell me anything."

"Please, please, please, never ever call me Lor."

"Okay, I'm sorry. Lorelai, you can tell me anything."

"Ok… Here it goes… Remember that night when I came into the diner to help you paint?"

"How could I forget it?"

"Well, remember how I said Christopher happened?"

"Yeah…?"

"Well, what I meant was… Chris and I slept together."

"Oh."

"And, we were drunk, so we forget… a few of the necessities."

"What? Uh, oh."

"Yeah." He wasn't getting my point. "Luke, I'm pregnant."

"You're… what? But, we just kissed! That's it!" I almost started laughing at him. He obviously wasn't putting the pieces of the puzzle together. He started hyperventilating. He got up from off the couch, and began pacing the room.

"Luke, no… It's not yours."

"Oh, right. It's…"

"Chris's," I said, sighing. "If you want out of this, I mean, if you'd rather not be with me anymore, I'd understand. I mean, I know it probably wasn't fair of me to ask you if you loved me first, then told you, but I had to know."

He stopped in his tracks, and looked at me like I was crazy. I had no idea what was going on in his head. He was starting to scare me.

"What?"

"Lorelai, I wouldn't leave you. I just told you I loved you, and I meant it." He came back and sat with me on the couch, and pulled me into a tight hug.

"But, this-"

"No. This is nothing. To someone else, this could be huge, but to me, it's nothing." He pulled me back, and looked me straight in the eye. "Lorelai Gilmore, I love you, and that's under all conditions."

"I love you too."

And chapter 5 is a wrap! I swear, this is the fastest I've ever updated any of my stories. The reviews sure do help in the updating process (hint, hint). I know no one wanted Lorelai to be pregnant, but that was my plan in the beginning. It's the "shocking news" I was referring to in my summary. Just bear with me. It'll all turn out in the Java Junkie favor.

Random Question: If the No. 2 pencil is so popular, why is it still No. 2?


	6. Snapdragons

A/N: Ok, here's chapter 6. Sorry for the wait, but I've been really sick lately, and when I say sick, I mean really, really sick. I woke up Monday morning with shooting pains in my stomach that wouldn't go away, and the same way on Tuesday morning. I went to the doctor, and they couldn't figure out what was wrong, so they sent me to the hospital for some tests, and they couldn't figure out what was wrong, so it's still a mystery diagnosis. The pain's gone now, but I'm still horribly nauseous. Sorry for the delay!

Here ya go…

Chapter 6

Luke's bed is the most comfortable place in the world, I had decided. After our talk, Luke made his bed up for me and I called Rory to tell her where I'd be. He made his way over to the couch, as I looked at him with a confused expression.

"What?" Luke asked, seeing no reason to be puzzled.

"Why're you sleeping on the couch?"

"The bed's kinda small, and you're the guest."

"I can make room. I'm not an elephant yet." He stood there and looked at me in the same way I had been looking at him only moments before. "Please, Luke?" It didn't seem to be working. Ok, time to put all joking aside. I looked down towards the ground and said, "Luke, please. I… I don't really want to be alone right now," I looked back up into his eyes with a sad expression. He looked at me sympathetically, and made his way over towards the bed. "Thank you."

We both slipped under the covers on our respective "sides" and fell comfortable into each other's arms. To any other couple, this would be the perfect opportunity to "initiate" the relationship, but for Luke and me, it didn't seem necessary.

I woke up hours later, as the sun peeked in through the windows, filling the room with soft light. I slowly opened my eyes to see Luke staring right back down at me. I was using his chest as a pillow, as I shifted my gaze to meet his eyes.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said, making me grin from ear to ear.

I was still too sleepy to come up with a witty response, so I just gave him a small peck on the lips.

We lay like this for awhile, both afraid to break the delicate silence of the room. Finally, when it became inevitable to both of us that we would have to get up and face the world, he spoke.

"Ready to get up?"

"No."

"Come on, Lorelai. It's 9 o'clock. I was supposed to go open the diner hours ago. The town's gonna know something's up."

"Well, they had to find out eventually, didn't they?"

"I guess so."

"Hey, I have the perfect way of letting them know," I said, sitting up. Apparently, there was no getting back to sleep now, so I just gave in to the morning. "You go down and open the diner, and I'll stay up here for about an hour, giving the diner plenty of time to fill up with all the regulars. Then, I'll come down, in my pajamas, and make it painfully obvious that I'm walking out of your apartment in the morning, after spending a blissfully wonderful night with you."

"Sounds like a plan. I gotta go now, like it or not," he said, getting up to get dressed.

"Fine. I'll see you in an hour!" And he walked out of the apartment and down the stairs.

An hour later, I emerged from the apartment. I walked through the curtain that separated the storage room from the diner, and let it fly behind me, almost hitting a few customers. All eyes were on me. Luke was pouring coffee for another customer at the table, so I just walked right up to him, grabbed his shirt at the top around the neck, and laid one on him. We both heard the whole diner give a collective "Gasp!" as I walked to the counter and took my seat.

Apparently, Patty had seen my little public display of affection, and had run straight into the diner, and towards me.

"Lorelai, dear, what was that?" she asked, out of breath

"What was what?" I asked innocently.

"You know what! Are you and Luke together?"

"Yes, Patty, we are," Luke answered for me, as he walked behind the counter. "Coffee?" he asked me.

"Of course."

"I knew it. I knew this would happen. It was only a matter of time. This is wonderful. Get me some pancakes, will you, Luke?"

"Sure, Patty," he said, as he poured me my coffee.

I took a long and luxurious sip of my coffee as I basked in the wonderment of my diner man. Immediately, I deeply regretted that sip, as I dropped the cup, clasped my hand over my mouth, and frantically ran upstairs to the bathroom, and tossed my cookies, er, coffee.

I slowly made my way downstairs, but before I walked back out, I heard Patty say, "What was that?"

"I, uh, I don't know," I heard Luke try to brush it off as if it was nothing. No such luck.

"Now I get it! Lorelai did this same thing at Al's the other day. Oh my god. Oh my god! Luke, why didn't you tell me? This is wonderful!"

"What? What's wonderful?" Luke asked, in a panic.

"Lorelai is pregnant!" Patty shouted to the whole town. "Lorelai is pregnant with Luke's baby!"

Shit.

Tbc.

Ok, ok, I know, it was really short. But it was just a filler chapter, to make up for my lack of updating. I'm sorry again for the wait.

Random Question: Why is a building called a building when it is already built?


	7. Begonias

"_Lorelai is pregnant!" Patty shouted to the whole town. "Lorelai is pregnant with Luke's baby!"_

_Shit._

Chapter 7

As soon as Patty left the diner, screaming to everyone that I was pregnant with Luke's child, Luke came running back behind the curtain, and ran into me. Trying to regain my balance, I said, "We need to talk."

"I'd say so."

Silently, we walked up the stairs and into his apartment. After sitting on the couch and listening to each other breathe for a few minutes, I finally decided it was better sooner than later.

"We have a problem."

"I'd say so," he said again. I silently wondered if he knew how to say anything else.

"What should we do?"

"Well, we have two options. We can either tell them it's Chris's, or let them think it's mine."

"I'd love to let them think it's yours, and I'm so touched that you'd do that for me, but, I can't do that to Chris. He deserves to know. And besides, Rory knows it's Chris's, so she'd be upset if I didn't tell him." I was in rambling/ranting mode. "and he'll be around for Rory still, too. So, what happens when he comes home and sees this little kid, and thinks it's yours, but it's actually his? That would be totally awkward. Not so much for him as for me and you and Rory. And, does that mean we'd have to lie to it, too? I mean, we can't exactly tell it Chris is its father, but have everyone else think that you're the father. We'd have to tell it that you're the father. I can't lie to my kid, Luke."

"Lorelai, slow down! Just breathe!"

"I'm sorry. This is just so hard."

"I understand. I get what you're saying. Have you told Christopher yet?"

"No."

"I think you should do that."

"I think I should, too."

"Have you told your parents yet?"

"No!"

"Lorelai…"

"Let's take this one step at a time. I'll tell Chris, and get this whole mess straightened out, and then I'll worry about telling my parents."

"Ok." We sat in silence for a few moments longer, trying to get the whole conversation past us. This was something neither of us saw coming, or wanted to deal with. "Do you want something to eat?"

"Sure. Waffles?"

"Ok. Chocolate chips?"

"Of course." We walked down the stairs, hand in hand, ready to face the diner together. Before crossing the threshold from the storage room to the diner, I said, "If anyone says anything, like congratulations on the baby or something like that, just ignore them. Pretend you know nothing about it. I mean, don't say you know nothing about it, just don't confirm anything that would make them think it's yours."

"Got it. Shall we?"

"We shall."

I got home at around 11 that morning. I had called Sookie and told her I needed the day off, because I wasn't feeling well. Truly, I needed to talk to Chris, and I knew I would need some time to do it. We were about to have a pretty interesting conversation.

"Hello?" I heard Chris' groggy voice answer. I had just remembered the time difference from here to California, and felt terrible. There was no backing out now, though. I tucked my legs underneath me on the couch and began.

"Hey, Christopher."

"Oh, Lorelai, what do you want?" he said, still clearly upset about that night a few weeks ago.

"Look, Chris, I need you to put what I said behind you and listen up. I have some news that you're not going to like, so you need to stop being 2 and listen."

He took a deep breath, and gave a sigh/groan. "Fine."

There was no point in delaying it. "I'm pregnant."

"You're what?"

"You heard me. I'm pregnant."

"Oh, ok. Um… congratulations?" He obviously had no idea what to do in this situation. It had been quite awhile since the last time we went through this.

"I don't think this calls for a congratulations, Chris. We're in trouble. Well, I take that back. We're not in trouble."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm with Luke now, Chris. I told him about the baby, and he's fine with it, but I'm with him now, so I'm not going to let you screw it up." I knew I wasn't sounding particularly nice, but I wanted to make it obvious that I wasn't looking for him to come back into our lives.

"But, this is my kid, Lor. I have to be its dad. This is the perfect opportunity for us to get back together. I mean, I've been looking for this chance for forever. I'm ready to be a dad. I was actually going to propose to you when I came to visit, but your answer was obvious after what you said. Lor, please, give me another chance!"

"No! Chris, I love Luke, and he loved me, too. You're out of the picture. Besides Rory and this baby, you're out of the picture. That's it. I'm with Luke now, and that's it."

It was quiet for a few minutes.

"Have you told your parents yet?" he said, almost so quiet, that I couldn't hear him.

"No. I wanted to tell you first."

"Can I at least come and tell them with you?"

"Fine. But you have to be here for the next Friday night dinner. That's when I was going to do it."

"Thank you. I'll be there."

"Bye, Chris."

"Bye Lorelai. I love you."

I hung up the phone, and pretended I didn't hear what he had just said. This was going to be a long, long week.

Ok, ok, I know, it's short again, but it's longer than last! The last one was something like 958, and this one is 1,045, so it's improvement! At least, I think so. Don't forget to push that beautiful little review button and type a few words! Oh, and by the way, thanks a bunch to those of you who wished me well! I am well now, and I think it's all because of your reviews. And a certain hug _wink_. Ok, well, on to the best part of the whole fic…

Random Question: Why is it called a Doctors' Practice?


	8. Dahlias

Chapter 8

"He's late."

"He's not late, Mom. He's got 20 more minutes before we have to leave."

"He's going to make us late, and Emily will have yet another reason to yell at me. It'll be all my fault. Not Christopher's, oh no. Darling Christopher is too perfect," I said, it mock-Emily accent. I began pacing throughout the whole downstairs of the house, as my daughter looked on in amazement of how hysterical I was.

"Look, there's his motorcycle now," Rory said, looking out the window. Chris hopped off his motorcycle and walked up to the porch, as if he had done nothing wrong.

"Finally!" I stormed out the front door with Rory on my tail, exasperated that he was late. "Chris, what took you so long? I thought you said you were going to be here at 3?"

"Well, I got caught up in traffic," he said, a lot more calmly than I would've preferred.

"Get in the car, we have to go."

"But Mom, we have 10 minutes, and I wanted to talk to my dad a little before we left."

"Fine. You've got ten minutes, and then we're out of here."

"Hi, Dad."

"Hey, kiddo." They hugged, much to my dismay, and stared at each other.

"Well?"

"We can go."

"Thank you."

I made him sit in the back. I don't know why I was so mad at him, but I was. I was absolutely fuming. Maybe it was because he was going to make me go through what I did with my parents so many years ago, again. Maybe it was because he's the one that caused my oh-so-frequent trips to the bathroom and morning sickness. I don't know. But what I did know is that he was the last person I wanted to spend my evening with, so this was going to have to go as quickly as possible.

"Are you sure you want to do this tonight?" Chris asked, obviously as scared as I was. I was starting to feel sympathetic. I was being so mean and distant, and all he was trying to do was the right thing.

I looked at him with understanding eyes, and said, "Yeah, Chris. It's now or never."

On the way up to the door, I wouldn't stand by him. No matter how sympathetic I was feeling I was still mad at him. Nothing could change that so easily. After standing in front of the giant door for five minutes, Rory finally reached out and rang the doorbell.

Before her finger even left the button, Emily opened the door.

"Mom! That was quick."

"Well, yes. I saw you walk up the drive, and I was wondering when you'd ring the bell. I was beginning to worry. Christopher! To what do we owe this pleasant surprise?"

"Oh, I don't think it's so pleasant," he said as we all walked through the door and into the sitting room.

"Nonsense. It's always a pleasure to see you. Now, what would you like to drink?"

"Something strong."

"All right, how about a gin martini?"

"You don't have anything stronger than that?" he whispered.

"What was that?"

"A gin martini is just perfect, Emily. Thank you."

"Here you are." She handed Chris his drink, and sat in an armchair. Christopher, Rory and I all sat together on the couch across. "Richard won't be joining us tonight. He's on business in Canada. I swear, if he comes back here saying 'eh' every other word, I'll just die."

"Grandma, 'eh' isn't all they say up there."

"Well, if he comes back with one of those cars that you plug in, I don't know what I'll do."

"Grandma, I-"

"Just give it up, Rory. It's hopeless," I whispered to her.

"So, is there anything new and exciting in the lives of the younger Gilmores?"

"Uh, well, Mom, actually, yes. There's a reason Chris came with us tonight. A very big reason."

"Oh my God!"

"What? What?" I had no idea why she was already this excited. She stood up, and immediately gave Chris and me the biggest hugs of our lives. We both exchanged confused looks. "This is just wonderful! Isn't this wonderful?"

"What's wonderful?"

"Yeah, Mom, fill us in on the big surprise."

"Oh, don't play dumb with me. I swear, the younger generation and their idea of jokes," she said, with a grin on her face. "I'm just sorry Richard isn't here to hear the great news. It's about time you two got married."

"What?" Chris gaped, and Rory gasped.

"Mom, no, we're not getting married." I almost felt sorry for her at that point. She was so happy, and now I was about to disappoint her again.

"You're not? Oh." She sat back down in her chair, and already looked extremely depressed. I had no idea how she would live after this. "If you're not getting married, then what's the big news?"

"Well, Mom," I said solemnly, "I'm… I'm…"

"Oh, just spit it out, Lorelai."

"I'm pregnant."

The room fell silent, almost too silent. The silence was so obvious, it was almost deafening.

"Well, of course you are. I wouldn't expect anything more from you," she said. She wasn't surprised, and I couldn't really expect her to be.

Dinner was perfectly pleasant, and why wouldn't it be, because no one said a word the entire time. After dessert, we all said our goodbyes, and walked towards the door. Rory and Christopher walked out, but my mother grabbed my arm to hold me back before I could escape._ So close_, I thought.

"Lorelai, I'd like to have a chat with you before you go."

"About what, Mother?"

"About this pregnancy… I can't believe you did this again. I am absolutely disgusted with you!"

"Me? It takes two to make a baby, Mom! Why aren't you disgusted with Christopher too?"

"Who says I'm not? But I'm not his mother, so I can't tell him that. I'm telling you. I just want you to know how much you've disappointed us, Lorelai, how much you've humiliated us," she told me, on behalf of herself and my father.

Then, it got quiet. "Ya know, Mom, I always knew you had your pride. You are one of the most proud women I know, next to myself. That's the one thing I've gotten from you. But what's different about us is this: You just don't know when to stop." I walked out of the house with a tear running down my face. I hoped to hell she'd seen that tear. I wanted her to see that no matter how much I had disappointed her and humiliated her, that would never amount up to how much she had hurt me.

I walked out to the jeep, and handed Christopher the keys. There was no way I was driving after that. He got out of the back seat and into the front, and I lay down in the back and cried. I cried so hard and so long, I didn't even notice when Rory climbed back there with me and held onto me like there was no tomorrow.

When we got home, my sobs had subsided, and Rory and I both said goodbye to Christopher. I had forgiven him, for whatever it was that he had done, and insisted that he stay the night, that it was too late to start driving again, but he wouldn't. He left, and I cried some more.

Some how, Rory had gotten me to go upstairs and change into something comfortable and go to sleep. She stayed there with me all through the night. I'm not sure when, but at some point in the night, Luke had come, and he had ended up sleeping right there next to Rory and me, never letting go of my hand. I didn't really want him there at first. But after I thought about the night again, and what my mother had said to me, I buried my face in his chest, while Rory rubbed my back.

That, right there, was all I ever needed. Nothing and no one else. That was my family.

Tbc.

My longest chapter yet! I think… Anyway, read and review! I've never updated any of my stories this fast, so you should thank me with a review!

Random Question: If a fly has no wings is it a "walk"?


	9. Sunflowers

Chapter 9

Two months passed like the wind. This pregnancy was going much faster than the first. It was a given after that night that I'd be absent from Friday night dinners from then on out. Rory continued to go, as per their deal. Really, the deal was broken when I stopped showing up, but I always knew they wouldn't stop paying for Chilton. They couldn't do that to Rory.

All three of us, that is, me, Luke, and Rory, tried to pretend everything was okay, but we knew it wasn't. The whole town still thought the baby was Luke's.

"When are you going to tell them?" Rory asked me, one lazy Saturday afternoon, at home.

"I don't know. It's not something you just bring up in daily conversation."

"I know, but you still have to tell them."

"I will, I will. I just want to do it in a way that won't make them think I'm a whore."

"They won't think that. Only Mrs. Kim."

"She's thought I was a whore since the day I stepped foot in Stars hollow with you on my hip and no husband."

"So, there you go. Nothing will change."

"Ok… ok, I've got it. I know how to do it. Hand me the phone."

"Here." I sat at the kitchen table, and dialed Babette's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Babette."

"Oh, hey, Doll! What can I do for ya?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just calling to chat, you know, catch up. I haven't seen you for awhile."

"Yeah, Morey and I have been cooped up all week. We got a new kitten, and we can't leave it alone. Somethin' about getting' used to its new environment."

"Right, right." I rolled my eyes at Rory.

"Put her on speaker phone!" Rory mouthed to me. I set the phone on the table, and pressed the big red button that said Speaker Phone so that Rory could listen.

Almost right on cue, Babette said, "So, Doll, where's Rory today?"

"Oh, you know Rory, she's in her room… uh…. studying," I scrambled. I wasn't expecting that one.

"Well, of course, that girl is so smart."

I smiled at Rory. "Yeah, she is."

"So, Lorelai, how's that baby of yours?"

Here it goes.

"It's fine, Babette, really well."

"Good, that's wonderful. I'm so happy for you and Luke."

"Well, Babette, it's not Luke's."

""It's not?" she practically screamed.

This is where my acting came in. "No, no, it's not. It's Christopher's. You remember Rory's dad. It's his," I said, through fake tears.

"Yeah, yeah, I remember him. It's okay, Honey. Does Luke know?"

"Yeah, he knows." For all Babette knew, I was blubbering like a baby at that point. Rory was almost crying herself, trying not to laugh out loud.

"Well, if he knows, and he's okay with it, then everything's all right, right?"

"Right, right. I gotta go, Babette. I need to… I don't know. I just need to go."

"Okay, all right. Is there anything you need?"

"Well… I could really use a nice, warm batch of brownies."

"Of course! I'd be glad to! Bye, Doll. Morey! Screw the cat! I'm goin' over to Patty's!" We heard her say before she hung up the phone,

"Mom! That was brilliant!"

"Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week."

"And we got brownies out of it, too!"

"Kiss the mommy." Rory kissed me on the cheek, and we sat there giggling for an eternity.

That Friday, Rory went off to dinner at her grandparents', and left me all by my lonesome, so, of course, I called Luke.

"Hello?"

"Hey, baby."

"Hey, Lorelai. What's goin' on?"

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all. Rory deserted me for her grandparents again, so I'm all alone."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sure you are… What're you wearing?"

"What?"

"Come on, Luke! I need some entertainment!"

"No!"

"Luuuuuke!"

"No!"

"Mom, I'm home!"

"Luke, I gotta go. Rory's home and it's only 8. Something's up."

"Okay. Call me back later."

"I will. Bye."

"Bye."

Rory stormed into her room and slammed the door shut. I walked in and watched her as she angrily took off her coat and shoes.

"Rory, what happened? Whoa!" I said, dodging the shoe she threw past me and into her closet.

"They happened, she said, referring to my parents.

"What did they do?"

"They… and then they… but then they-" she stumbled, gesticulating wildly.

"Rory, honey, full sentences, please," I said, pulling her down to sit on the bed with me.

"I just, I can't believe them!"

"What did they do this time?"

"They… they… No, I can't tell you. I don't want to upset you anymore than you already are with them."

"I appreciate that, but, Rory, I can't be anymore upset with them. Just tell me."

"They called you… well, they basically called you… a slut… among other things. They just, they have no respect for you as their daughter, and me as your daughter and best friend."

"I know, and this surprises you?"

"Yes! It doesn't surprise you?"

"No. They've always been like that, ever since I was little. They told me, to my face, that I was a disappointment when I was seven after I failed a spelling test. I'm sure they didn't realize what they were saying, but they said it."

"Wow."

"Yeah, well, what they didn't remember was that I couldn't study for it because I was out all night at a function with them the night before the test."

"Is it okay if I don't go to dinners anymore?"

"It's up to you, babe. Just hope that they keep paying for Chilton if you don't."

"We both know they will."

"From your lips to God's ears, Honey."

Tbc.

I know, not the best place to stop, but it's lunch time and I'm damn hungry! So you're just going to have to forgive me this time. I know this wasn't the best chapter, but it was necessary. I promise the next one will be brilliant! Chips and Salsa, here I come!

Review!

Random Question: Why do you press harder on a remote control when you know the battery is dead?


	10. Lilies of the Valley

Chapter 10

"Hello?" I answered the phone groggily, at 2 in the morning.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, Lor. I keep forgetting the time difference from here to there."

"It's okay, Chris. I wasn't really sleeping anyway. Trying to, sure, but I wasn't sleeping," I said, sitting up. I definitely wasn't going to sleep anymore.

"Ok."

"So, what did you need?"

"Oh, right. Tomorrow is four months, right?"

"Right…?"

"Are you going to find out what it is?"

"Yeah, I think so. You never know, though. I'm known to change my mind quite often."

"Well, do you want me to come with you to your appointment? I can be there in a couple days after I clear a few things up at work."

"No, Chris, it's okay. The appointment is tomorrow, anyway. Luke is coming with me. He's actually looking forward to it. It's kinda cute."

"But-"

"No, really, don't worry about it. Luke will be there for me, and Rory might come, too. I promise to call you right afterwards and let you know how it goes."

"Ok. Thank you. And don't worry about what time it is when you call me. I'll be there no matter what time it is. I'll even answer it on the first ring."

"Promise?"

"I promise, really, I do." Something in his voice made me know he was telling the truth.

"All right, thanks Chris. I'm gonna try to get some sleep now. Goodnight."

"Night, Lor."

I hung up the phone, and laid my head back down on the pillow next to Luke. He snaked his arm around my stomach and held me protectively. I kissed his shoulder, and finally fell asleep.

I was actually really proud of Christopher. He was finally starting to be responsible. Sure, he wasn't around for the pregnancy, but he lived thousands of miles away, so he couldn't help it. He called every chance he got, which still wasn't much, but it was more than before. He was doing his best, and that's all I could hope for.

Luke woke me up at 8 the next morning, like I had asked him to. It was at that moment that I regretted ever asking him to do such a cruel and unusual thing.

"Off with your head," I said, as I swung a pillow in his direction.

"Come on, Lorelai. Your appointment is in an hour, and you've got to shower and eat yet. Now, get up. I promised you I'd give you coffee this morning, and I did. You just have to come downstairs to get it."

"You are an evil, evil man."

"Hey, you haven't had coffee in four months, and you're calling me evil, the man who has so graciously agreed to make it for you?"

"First of all, you didn't agree graciously. It took a bit more begging than I would've preferred to keep my dignity. Second, is it decaf?"

"No."

"Yes! I love you!" I stood up, and threw my arms around his neck.

"But before, you said I was an evil, evil man."

I kissed him, and smiled. "Well, we all have our weaknesses."

I went downstairs, took a sip of my coffee, and quickly remembered my recent disdain for it, ever since this stupid pregnancy. I grudgingly ate the rest of my breakfast as I drank tea, much to Luke's satisfaction.

I trudged up the stairs to take my shower. I was about to step in, when I heard Luke's footsteps outside of the bathroom.

"Oh, Luke!" I said, in the most sing song voice I could manage, over the sound of the running water.

"Yeah?"

"Join me?"

Let's just say the morning from then on went much better than the start of it. And, we had a pretty good reason to be a few minutes late for the appointment…

When we finally did arrive, we went into the exam room straight away. It didn't take long for that gross, cold, blue gel stuff to end up on my stomach, and an amazing picture of my baby to appear on the screen.

"Lorelai, it's beautiful," Luke said, staring at the screen.

"Aw, Luke, you old softy."

"Geez…"

We sat there together in silence for a few more minutes when the doctor finally asked, "Would you like to know the sex of your baby?"

"Yes!" I said, right away.

"Well, it looks like you have a-"

"Wait! No! I don't want to know."

"Okay…" She closed the chart that held the answer and almost began wiping the gross junk off when-

"Hold it! I want to know."

"You're positive?"

"Don't ask her that, she'll change her mind again!" Luke said, frantically.

"Ok. It's a girl."

"A girl! Oh, Luke, it's another girl!"

"Yeah, I heard," he said, with a huge grin on his face.

"Do you two have any ideas for names?" Doctor Howser asked.

"Actually, I haven't really thought about it that much. I don't know. Hm… Rory's already taken the name-your-kid-after-yourself bit. I guess we've got some thinking to do."

"Well, you're all set for today. You can set up another appointment on your way out." She finally wiped the goo off of me, and I began to get dressed.

"This is so exciting, Luke. Rory's going to have a little sister. She's going to be so happy."

"She may be happy, but I don't think it's humanly possible for anyone to be happier than you right now," Luke said, through a laugh.

"That's true." I smiled brightly at him as he pulled me into a hug, and kissed my forehead.

We drove home, and Luke began making me some lunch. I was abnormally starved, even after eating a huge breakfast that morning.

"I need to call Chris," I told him, as he flipped my burger over and turned to face me.

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

"I don't know why, but I kind of really want to." Luke just glared at me. "I know he doesn't seem like a great guy to you, but deep down, he really is."

Luke's expression softened. "If you say so." He went back to flipping my burger, as I skipped into the living room to grab the phone to call Christopher. I skipped back into the kitchen, and sat back down at the table, and dialed his number with a huge smile on my face.

After what seemed like 25 rings, I heard, "Hi, you've reached Christopher Hayden. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks."

I hung up the phone, and looked sadly at the table. I couldn't believe he had done this. He promised me. He promised! It was typical Christopher. I don't know why I was surprised. I thought he really was turning around. Oh, how quickly he had changed my mind.

Luke set my burger down in front of me. "Ya know, all of a sudden, I'm not so hungry anymore." I looked up at him sadly.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"What's wrong?" He sat in the chair next to me, and put an arm around my shoulders for comfort. No one would ever know how thankful I was for my Luke.

"It's just, Christopher promised he'd be there to answer my call after the appointment today, but I just called, and it went to his voice mail. I can't believe I actually believed him."

Luke could tell I was hurting. "You never know, maybe he had a good reason."

"You're defending him?"

"No, I can just tell you're upset, and it seemed like it would make you feel better."

"Thanks, Luke." I wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed him softly. He pulled me onto his lap, and kissed me right back.

He pulled away, and rested his forehead against mine. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

He kissed me again, before saying, "Now, go tell Rory."

"Okay. Thanks again, Luke."

"Anytime."

I picked up the phone again, and dialed Rory's cell number. It was about 3 o'clock, so I knew she would probably be out of school by then.

"Rory!"

"Mom! Did you find out what it is?"

"Yes…"

"And?" she asked, excitedly.

"Well…."

"Come on, Mom! Out with it!"

"It's a girl!"

"Oh my god, YAY!" she screamed. We talked and talked 'til she walked through the front door. Then, we hung up our phones and talked some more, thoughts of Christopher far behind us.

Tbc.

I think I really like this chapter. I didn't think Luke was getting enough "air time" for a Java junkie script as this, and it was leading people to believe that this was going to be a Lorelai and Christopher fic. SO not the case! The L's all the way! Ok, well, let me know what you think! R&R!

Random Question: Who's getting sick of the random questions?


	11. Violets

Chapter 11

"Lorelai, it's your mother," I heard, blaring from the answering machine, as I walked past it one afternoon. I quickly pressed the skip button and shuffled towards the kitchen for a snack.

I reached for a poptart and walked back towards the answering machine to hit the skip button once again after I heard, "Lorelai, really. This is ridiculous."

I walked towards the couch, took a bite of my cinnamon heaven, and brushed the crumbs off the baby bump I had been growing for 6 months. Emily Gilmore's voice once again rang through the house, but I was too wrapped up in my food to care. I heard little snippets of the message, such as "china" and "dinner" and other things that didn't really matter to me. It was just then that I heard it. It had been sitting at the back of my mind for months, eating away at me with worry. I pushed it back there after I hadn't heard from my parents in awhile, but it had just been confirmed, loud and clear. No toaster pastry of any kind could cloud that from my memory.

"Lorelai, your father and I are discontinuing our payments to Chilton."

Whatever she said after that was a blur. I didn't care about anything else. I was in deep trouble. This was no ordinary predicament. This was huge. What was I going to do? I surely couldn't call her back and beg for forgiveness. I would never resort to that. She's the one who needed to ask me for forgiveness. I was perfectly happy with her paying for Chilton and having her completely separated from mine a Rory's lives in every other way. Why did she have to go and ruin my bliss?

"Luke!" I called up the stairs. He was so graciously fixing my shower… again. I would never tell him that I kept breaking it on purpose, just to get him to come over the house. He came running down in frenzy.

"What? What's wrong?" He came and sat next to me on the couch, looking more worried than I had ever seen him.

"No, don't worry, Luke. The baby's fine." I smiled at how cute he could be sometimes.

"Oh, good." He breathed a sigh of relief. "What's wrong then?"

"We have a problem."

"We do? What's going on?"

"Well, I guess _we _don't really have a problem. It's more of a me and Rory kind of problem."

"Lorelai, whatever you and Rory have a problem with, I have a problem with. What's going on?"

Luke cares about me so much. I kissed him on the cheek, and got up to press play on the answering machine. I skipped the first two messages so he could hear the important one. Much to my dismay, Emily's shrill voice rang throughout the house once again.

Luke sat listening intently. "What do we care about China?"

"Just listen."

"Lorelai, your father and I are discontinuing our payments to Chilton."

"Oh… Uh Oh."

"Yeah. I have a bit of a problem," I said, as I went to join him on the couch again.

"What are we going to do?"

"I have no idea. I mean, there's no way I can afford to pay for Chilton. I swear, they overcharge way too much. They care a little too much amount the maintenance of those ugly gargoyles and not enough about the economic well being of the Chilton families."

Luke giggled at this. "How come you laugh at tough situations like this, but all other pregnant women cry their eyes out at the simplest things?"

"I'm multifaceted abnormal."

"Yeah, she likes washing dishes, too," Rory said, as she walked in the door from school.

"Hey, welcome home."

"Thanks. What's going on?" She could obviously see the worried looks on our faces. I couldn't tell her that she might not be going to Chilton anymore. It would break her heart. I couldn't deal with seeing her sad. _That_ is what would make me cry.

"I stubbed my toe on the way down the stairs, and Luke, being the worrier he is, was just fussing over it. It's no big deal," I said, trying to change the subject. Thank god I was wearing socks, so she couldn't see how not stubbed my toe was.

"O…k. I guess I believe you." My daughter, always knowing when I'm lying to her. Luckily, she didn't push the subject, and went in her room to start her homework.

"What're we gonna do?" Luke asked, again.

"I don't know. I could call and see if there's any way to get financial aid, but I doubt there will be."

"It's worth a shot."

"Mkay. Hand me the phone?"

"Sure."

I dialed the number, and an irritated sounding woman answered the phone. "Hi, this is Lorelai Gilmore. I'm calling about my daughter… Lorelai Gilmore…. Yes I know her name is the same as mine… Well, excuse me! I was a little whacked out on Demoral… Ok, can I get back to the point here?... Thank you. Well, it seems as if I'm having a bit of money trouble lately, and I won't be able to make the full payments as normally planned… Yes, I know that's a problem… Well, is there any way to get financial aid, or a scholarship, or something like that?... I see… Well, thank you for your time. Goodbye."

"I take it it's a no," Luke said with a sigh.

"Tell him what his prize is, Johnny."

The rest of the day went smoothly, with the exception of the money thing eating away at the back of my mind. I didn't know what I was going to do. I was just going to have to tell Rory she'd have to go back to Stars Hollow High. But, I'd promise her I'd start saving money right at that moment so that maybe she'd be able to go back the next year. Fat chance, though. Chilton is a school of moochers, I swear.

"Mom?" I heard Rory call for me later that evening, after we had returned from Luke's for dinner. I walked from out of the kitchen and saw Rory standing by the answering machine. Damn. I knew I forgot to erase it.

"What's this?" She pressed the play button, and skipped straight to the part about the money.

"Ah, you've been snooping," I said, slyly avoiding the subject.

"Yeah, well when my mom doesn't tell me something important, I tend to resort to desperate measures. Now, what is it?"

"Well, Honey, They're not paying for Chilton anymore."

"Yeah, I picked up on that," she said in an exasperated tone. She walked over to the couch and sat down. I was quick to follow her.

"Now, don't get mad at me. I didn't make them stop paying. That was their choice."

"I know, I know. I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at them. I can't believe they're doing this to us! It's like they _want_ us to shut them out."

"They don't want us to shut them out. They want the exact opposite of that. When we stopped going to dinner and didn't return their calls or call them, and cut off all connections whatsoever, this was the only way they saw to get us back. They figured we'd come crawling back and beg for their fogiveness. But, Rory, we're not going to let them win. We'll figure something out."

"What're we going to do?"

"I've been asking myself the same thing all day."

Just then, we heard a knock at the door. I went to answer it, but there was no one there. I looked down and saw a simple white envelope lying before my feet, with "Rory" neatly written on it. I wasn't sure, but it looked oddly like Luke's handwriting.

"Rory, there's something here for you." I picked up the envelope with much difficulty because of my baby bump, and walked it over to Rory who was still sitting on the couch, sat down, and handed it to her.

"Who's it from?" She eyed the envelope curiously.

"I don't know. Open it up and find out."

Dear Rory,

Here's a blank check for Chilton. Just fill in the amount, whatever it is. Don't worry about how much. Consider it a gift from me to you.

Love,

Luke

"Oh my God," Rory gasped. We both stared at the letter and check in amazement. I knew Luke was a great guy, but I never knew he was this great. He would never know how much this meant to Rory, and to me.

"Mom, we have to go over there right now and thank him."

"Yeah, I'd say so."

We grabbed our jackets, hopped in the jeep, and sped over to the diner. We rushed in, and the first thing Rory did was go behind the counter to where Luke stood, and gave him a big hug. She surprised Luke, but he gladly returned the hug right away. They stayed like that for a few minutes.

"Come on, Rory, let me have a turn!"

She pulled back and looked Luke in the eyes. "Luke, thank you so, so, so much. You'll never know how much this means to me," Rory said, with a little sparkle in her eye. Luke hugged her again, and finally let go to give me a turn. But first, he grabbed a piece of pie and set it in front of Rory.

I pulled Luke into the storage room and kissed him harder than I'd ever kissed anyone in my entire life. I pulled back, and looked him in the eyes, and almost started crying. "Luke, you are amazing. I love you so much, you'll never know. I just… you are everything. I mean, first, you don't even think twice about dating a woman that's pregnant with another man's baby, and then, you stay with me all through the night after my mom crushes me, and you come to all of my baby appointments, and now this… Luke, I just… I'm speechless."

"Huh, you could've fooled me," Luke said with a grin. He put a hand on each arm and pulled me to him. "I'm glad to do it. I love Rory like a daughter, so I didn't even have to think about it. When you couldn't get financial aid, I knew I was going to do it right away."

I kissed him again, hugged him, and whispered in his ear, "I love you more than anything in the world."

"Back at'cha."

We started walking back out to the diner, when "Ow!"

"Lorelai? What's wrong?"

"Mom!" Rory rushed to my side, as did Luke.

"Ow! Ow, ow, ow, ow, OW!" I cried out. The tears started pouring down my face. It hurt so much. "Something's wrong!" I screamed.

"Mom, this can't be happening! You're only 6 months pregnant!" Rory said frantically.

Luke led me over to a table. "Lorelai, you sit here. Rory, stay with your mother. I'll pull the truck around to the front."

"Okay." Rory bent down and held me close and cried with me. She was scared. So was I.

"Hurry, Luke! OW ow, ow, ow, ow!"

Tbc.

A cliffhanger! Ha! I'm evil! Atleast I made the chapter extra long! It may be a few days before I update again, cuz I'll be busy all day tomorrow, and then I go back to school on Monday. For as bad as that is, I _finally_ get to escape from my mental institution of a family! By the way, can anyone help me figure out the time period, here? I mean, if she's 6 months along, what month would it be right now? I'm not too great at figuring that kind of stuff out. Pathetic, I know, but I'm not really sure what month it was when Christopher came back on the show, either. Any help would be much appreciated! Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Read and Review!

Random Question: If one f the sychronized swimmers drowns, do they all have to?


	12. Baby's Breath

_We started walking back out to the diner, when "Ow!"_

"_Lorelai? What's wrong?"_

"_Mom!" Rory rushed to my side, as did Luke._

"_Ow! Ow, ow, ow, ow, OW!" I cried out. The tears started pouring down my face. It hurt so much. "Something's wrong!" I screamed._

"_Mom, this can't be happening! You're only 6 months pregnant!" Rory said frantically._

_Luke led me over to a table. "Lorelai, you sit here. Rory, stay with your mother. I'll pull the truck around to the front."_

"_Okay." Rory bent down and held me close and cried with me. She was scared. So was I._

"_Hurry, Luke! OW ow, ow, ow, ow!"_

Chapter 12

Luke came rushing through the front door of the diner, not 30 seconds after he left to pull the truck around to the front. "Okay, Lorelai, can you walk?"

I was crying so hard, I couldn't answer. Luke took that as his cue to pick me up and carry me out to the truck. He placed me in the middle of the bench seat, so he and Rory could climb in on either side of me. Not a moment after we were all situated, we sped off towards the hospital.

"Lorelai, lay down!" Doctor Howser tried to persuade me. She had given up on asking calmly, and had begun to yell. It just wasn't going to work.

"No! The baby's not ready!" I cried out. I lay, scrunched up on a hospital bed, refusing to let anyone touch me. The baby just wasn't ready yet. Why couldn't they understand?

"Lorelai, please! You have to lie down!" I still refused. Everyone was so frantic around me, hustling and bustling, yelling… I couldn't take it. They were scaring me even more than I already was.

"Mom, you have to listen to the doctors!" Now my daughter was trying to do this to me? I thought she, of all people, would understand!

"Rory, I can't. She's not ready," I whispered through tears. My head began to spin. This was all happening so fast. All I wanted was to go home, sit on the couch, watch some sappy romantic comedy starring Meg Ryan, and eat a gallon of ice cream.

I pulled myself into a tighter ball, and covered my ears with my hands to block out the sound of everyone yelling at me.

"Lorelai," Now Luke? I really wanted to scream, but I was too busy crying my eyes out. "Lorelai, you have to do this. I know you don't want to, but you have to. Once they're done with the C-section, there's lots of great doctors here that are going to take really good care of your baby." When that didn't work, he added quietly, "If you don't do this, your baby won't make it, Lorelai. She'll die."

After thinking about his words for a few seconds, I slowly laid flat on my back, and let them wheel me into the operating room. I cried the whole way, and all through the C-section. No one could understand just how scared I was. I was so afraid that I'd lose my baby, my little girl, I just couldn't stand it.

Luke held my hand all the way through, while Rory waited patiently in the waiting room.

"Here she is." Doctor Howser held up a tiny pink baby for me to see. She wasn't crying. Moments later, after Luke cut the cord, Doctor Howser announced, "2 pounds, 13 ounces, 13 inches long." And just like that, my little girl was rushed to the NICU and I hadn't even gotten a proper look at her.

I started to cry even harder, and my head began to pound. "Luke! Where are you?"

"I'm right here, Lorelai. I'm right here."

"I need you." He held me as I cried and cried.

"I'm not leaving you. Don't worry."

Awhile later, after I had calmed down, I sat in a wheelchair, and Luke rolled me to the NICU to see my brand new daughter for the first time.

"She's so tiny," I said, staring at her in the incubator, on the verge of tears again. Luke kneeled down to my level and put an arm around my middle. "Have they told you anything?"

"Her lungs have a lot more developing to do, so she's at high risk for infections, and she can't breathe or eat on her own. Once she can do both, we can take her home," he said, finding no reason to lie to me.

"How long will that take?"

"Awhile," he said with a sigh. I gave a little whimper as I watched her flex her fingers helplessly. Luke rubbed my back comfortingly, and I rested my head on his shoulder.

"Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think she'll be okay?" I said, barely above a whisper.

"I think she's already perfect."

Tbc.

I know, I know, it was really short, but it was necessary for it to be that short. If I had added anything else to it, it would've been overdone, and no one wants that. To make up for its shortness, I promise to stay up tonight and write the next chapter and have it posted my tomorrow evening, but only because I have no homework. You can thank my teachers for that one. Ah, gotta love block scheduling.

Anyway, Review!

Random Question: When someone asks you, "A penny for your thoughts" and you put your two cents in . . . what happens to the other penny?


	13. A Rose

"_Do you think she'll be okay?" I said, barely above a whisper._

"_I think she's already perfect."_

Chapter 13

I smiled at Luke. He could be such a softy sometimes.

"She needs a name," I said.

"So soon? You can take your time, ya know."

"I know, but I'm tired of being sad about how she came into the world. It's time to give her a place in it, and that starts with her name."

"You never cease to amaze me, Lorelai Gilmore," he said with a smile. It was the first time anyone had smiled in hours, and I have to say, it was a nice change of pace.

"I want it to be something with meaning. I don't want to just slap a name on her just because it sounds pretty. It's gotta mean something."

"Okay. Got any ideas?"

"None."

He looked like he was about to say something. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, opened it, and closed it. "What? Say it."

"No, it's a stupid idea. I can't believe I even thought it. If I tell you, you'll yell at me."

"I'm not up to yelling today, trust me. Just say it."

"No, Lorelai, I can't. I won't."

"Fine… So, she's still nameless."

"It seems that way."

Something about her seemed intoxicating. I don't think either of us took our eyes off of her during our entire conversation. After a few minutes, I finally said, "How about Rose?"

"Why Rose?"

"They're pretty, and delicate, and they are full of meaning. Like, red means love, white means innocence, and yellow means happiness. She's loved, she's innocent, and she brings happiness."

"It's perfect."

"Hi there, Rose." We both watched as she lay there, helplessly. I couldn't help but wonder what goes on in baby's minds. I know some great philosopher said that everyone is born with a blank mind, and it gets filled in during the course of your life. If that's true, little Rose' first impression on her mind wasn't good. It was filled with fear, and terror, and lots and lots of stupid cords that were bearing her down, not letting her be free. I bet after being cooped up inside of me for 6 months, she wanted to stretch out her arms and legs and use then the best she could for a newborn, but being in that incubator must've been so constraining, and frightening. Then again, it's all she knew. She didn't know what it was like to lie in her mother's arms, or in a crib, or in one of those things with all the flashy colors and lights. So, if it's all she knew, how could it be frightening? How is it fair that that was all she knew? I was determined to make sure that her stay in the hospital would only be as long as it had to be.

"What about a middle name?"

"Hm… I wish Sookie was just her nickname. Otherwise, I'd use her real name as Rose's middle name."

"Well, we can't all get what we want."

"How about Olivia?"

"Why Olivia?"

"It's pretty."

"But I thought it had to have meaning?"

"The first name has to have meaning, Luke, the first name. The middle name can be as meaningless as we want, as long as it's pretty."

"Ok, then. Rose Olivia Gilmore. I like it."

"Good….Who all is here?" I asked. I knew people wouldn't show up around the time I went into the hospital. It was way too late. But now that it was about 10 in the morning, I knew half of Stars Hollow would be in the waiting room, waiting to see the newest citizen of the town.

"Everyone. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. They're trying to convince some lady to let them all in here at once."

"Hey, guys!" Rory said, as she entered the NICU with half of Connecticut following behind her. She hugged her mother and Luke, and motioned for everyone to circle around the incubator.

"Hey, Lorelai!" Sookie said, giving her a hug. "We've gotta make this as quick. It took a lot to get that nurse lady to let us all in here."

"Okay. Thanks for coming, everyone."

"Of course, Sugar. We wouldn't miss this for the world," Babette said, rubbing her back.

"Hey, everyone, gather 'round. We're doing official introductions."

"Lorelai, she's not going to understand," Taylor said.

"Humor me… This is your Auntie Sookie and Uncle Jackson. You'll love them. Sookie will make you all your birthday cakes and Jackson will give you zucchinis that oddly resemble Mother Goose nursery rhyme characters."

"Hey there, little one."

"Next is Miss Patty. She'll teach you how to sing and dance."

"She's the next Broadway star, I can tell already."

"Next are Babette and Morey. They're the best next door neighbors anyone could ask for. And when you've got a problem, Babette's brownies are sure to cheer you up."

"Hey there, Doll."

"Next is Taylor. So, do you approve of Stars Hollow's newest resident?"

"I think she'll fit in just fine."

"Kirk is next. He'll be there for all your, gutter cleaning, dog walking, choreographing, real estate buying needs."

"Next Tuesday, I'll be your newest mail carrier as well."

"And after Kirk is our fine Frenchman, Michel. He'll be sure to tell you all about Celine Dion, and carefully monitor your blueberry intake."

"Hello, there."

"And then there's Gypsy and Andrew. Gypsy'll fix up for first car after you inevitably crash it into the garage, and Andrew will be sure to have your "My First Words" book in stock whenever you need it."

"Hi there, baby."

"After them is Lane. She'll teach you all about the hippest bands, and how to hide your Offspring obsession from your mother."

"Not even I would help her hide Offspring."

"This is Rory. She's your big sister. And next to her is Luke. He's my guy. He's been wrapped around your little finger since the day he found out about you. Just bat your eyelashes at him and you've got whatever you want."

"You bet she does."

"Your daddy isn't here right now, but wherever he is, be sure that he loves you very much."

"Actually, Mom, he's right here." Christopher popped out of the back of the crowd.

"Hey, Lor. I just got here about 10 minutes ago. Rory called me last night, and I hopped on the first plane I could catch."

"Thanks, Rory. Hey, why aren't you over here giving me a hug?" I asked Chris.

"Oh, sorry." He walked over to me, and hugged me lightly, as if he was afraid to hurt me.

"Now, on with the introductions."

"Who else do you have to introduce?"

"Well, her, of course."

"Oh, right…"

"And you, little girl, are Rose Olivia Gilmore, and don't you ever forget that. You're here, you're mine, and everything is going to be great."

Tbc.

I know I said I was going to have this chapter up a few hours ago, but I don't think I did too badly. I seriously considered not posting this today because there's obviously something wrong with the alert thing, cuz I haven't gotten any alerts on new chapters or reviews, but I'm sure once it starts working again, everything will be fine. Anyway, I like this chapter. I kinda like it a lot. I hope the meaning of the chapter titles is coming into focus for you!

I need to thank one of my reviewers from last chapter. She told me about my technical mistakes concerning the c-section, so let's just pretend they didn't happen, lol. I'd go back and fix them, but it would change the story line, so just go with it. To this reviewer, I have a question for you. Since you can't get up to see the baby that soon, when do you get to see it? I'm just wondering. I mean, if it were me, I'd want to go see my baby the second the c-section was over. I'd probably get up out of my hospital bed nd walk right over there, no matter what, lol.

Anyhoo, Review!

Random Question: If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?


	14. Azaleas

Chapter 14

"Hey there, Sookie!" I said, walking into the NICU one afternoon. It was a surprise to see Sookie there at that time of day. She should've been at the inn, tending to the lunch crowd.

"Hey, Lorelai. Things were slow at the inn, so I decided to stop by," she replied, a little bit on the somber side.

"Well, thanks!" I smiled brightly at her. "Do you want to hold her?"

"Uh, is that okay?" she asked timidly.

"Yeah, of course! It's fine," I said, picking up little Rosie and handing her to Sookie as she sat in a chair next to the incubator.

"She's so tiny," Sookie said, staring at her through all the many cords that ran in and out of her in different places.

"Yeah, it seems to be that way."

"How much does she weigh now?"

"Almost 3 pounds. For how long it's been, she should weigh more, but we're accepting whatever we can get."

"How long has it been?"

"About a month. Goodness, I can't believe it's already been that long," I said, smiling at Rose. I took one of her little hands in mine and stroked it gently. I felt a tear forming in the corner of my eye and quickly wiped it away. I couldn't let anyone see how much I was hurting on the inside, so I changed the subject as quickly as possible. "How are things at the inn?"

"They're pretty good. Mia was there earlier today."

"She was?" I asked happily. I always love it when Mia comes to visit.

"Yeah, she asked about you. She'll probably be here later today to visit." Feeling that the subject of the conversation was too quickly turning back to uncomfortable territory, I changed the subject again.

"So, you know, Rory got a 99 on her English test."

"Wow, that's amazing! What did she get wrong?" Sookie asked, feigning disappointment.

"Nothing. They just can't put 100s into the computer."

"Of course." Sookie giggled in her own patented way.

We sat together in silence, just staring at Rose. I began to get emotional, so I hurriedly excused myself to the bathroom, leaving Sookie with the baby all by herself. On my way down the hall, I passed Luke coming back from the vafeteria as he walked into the NICU. Curious about what they would talk about if I wasn't there, I stood at the door, and listened closely to their conversation. I could only hear little snippets of their conversation, but it was enough.

"Luke, I'm worried about Lorelai," Sookie said, with concern dripping from her voice.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"She's acting so strange. I mean, she's acting like typical Lorelai, always full of energy and happiness, but this isn't the time for that. She should be sad, and worried, but she's not. I'm afraid she's trying to hide it, and that's not good."

"I know. She's acted that way around me too. I can't get her to talk to me. I've brought it up before, but she always changes the subject."

"Make her talk about it, Luke. I'm really, really worried about her."

"Ok. I will. Thanks, Sookie."

"No problem, Luke. So, how's the baby doing? I never found out since she oh so skillfully skidded away from that topic."

"She's doing okay. Not too great, but okay. She's had a few scares, like lung infections, and her weight keeps going up and down, but the doctors think she'll be fine eventually."

"That's good. I mean, they are great doctors. They know what they're talking about."

It was quiet for awhile.

"Well, I gotta go. Tell Lorelai I said goodbye," Sookie said, handing Rosie to Luke.

"Okay, I will. Thanks for stopping by. It really means a lot."

"No problem." Sookie stood up and started walking towards the door. Before reaching it, she turned around and said, "Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"She's really lucky to have you. You know that, right?"

"Thanks, Sookie." I could hear the bashfulness in his voice.

Suddenly, it became very clear to me that Sookie had walked out into the hall, and saw me standing there, listening to their every word. I looked her in the eyes, ashamed, leaned back on the wall behind me, and looked down to the ground. I know she could see how much I was hurting, no matter how much I tried to hide it. It's what best friends do.

She only looked at me, gave me a reassuring smile, squeezed my arm lightly, and walked down the hall. After taking a moment to compose myself, I walked back in to where Luke and Rose were. I sat down next to Luke, who was holding Rose. He placed her back in her incubator, and looked in my direction.

"We need to talk," he said, with purpose in his voice.

I looked into my lap. "I know."

"What's going on with you?" Apparently we were jumping right into this. No beating around the bush for Luke Danes, no sir.

"Why, whatever do you mean?" I asked brightly, putting on that fake façade I had mastered with Sookie. Erm, thought I mastered…

"Lorelai, stop. I'm serious. You're not acting like yourself."

I still wasn't completely ready to admit that he was right. "That's funny. I thought I was just like myself," I said, faking confusion.

"Yeah, when things are fine, but things aren't fine.You should be a little less happy."

"You're telling me you want me to be sad?" I asked. I was blowing this way out of proportion. All he wanted to do was help, and I knew that. I just wasn't ready to admit that something really was wrong.

"No, I'm just saying, it's okay to cry. You don't have to be so strong. I'd understand if you weren't so happy all the time." His words made me want to lose it.

Before the tears began to spill over, I said "I… I don't know what you're talking about." I stood up abruptly and ran out of the room. I sprinted down the hall, out into the parking lot, and opened the door to Luke's jeep. I hopped in, and slammed the door. I brought my feet up onto the seat, buried my head in my hands, and began to sob. I knew it wouldn't be long until Luke came out.

I locked the doors, remembering that Luke had given me his keys to hold for him. I just wanted to be alone. When he came out to the truck about ten minutes later, tried to open the door, and knocked on the window to get me to let him in, I could see the hurt in his eyes when I looked at him and shook my head. I watched as he slowly made his way back into the hospital to give me my space.

Hours later, I heard a rapping on the window once again.

"Lorelai? You've been in there for over two hours. Are you okay?" At the sound of Luke's voice, the tears that had subsided an hour ago began flowing freely again.

I reached out, flipped the lock on the door, and said "No."

Hearing this, he hurriedly hopped in beside me and shut the door behind him. "You're not?"

"No." I was crying so hard, my head started to pound.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Hold me." And he did. He wrapped his arms around me instantly. He held me closely, never letting go. From then on, I didn't have to explain anything to him. He just understood. He understood that it was enormously hard for me to watch my little girl lie helpless in the hospital. He knew it was difficult for me to just let all those things happen to her without being able to do a thing to stop them. He got that after having complete control of how Rory was raised, it was murder to leave my daughter in the hands of people I didn't even know. He knew all this about me, and I didn't even have to tell him. What more could I ask for?

Tbc.

Short chapter, I know, but I felt bad because I haven't been updating as quickly as I used to. It's all because of stupid school, believe me, and I had a football game after school today too. This story will be coming to an end pretty soon, so thanks to those of you who are still reading! I think there'll be at least 1 more chapter, but I'm not positive. There could be another after that, but I'm really not sure.

I'd like to thank all of my reviewers! You guys are splendid.

Reviews! I love 'em. Keep 'em comin'!

Random Question: Why do we say something is out of whack? What's a whack?

_cringe!_ That was a tad on the dirty side. Don't even say it, Doogs! I know it was too easy. Anyway, review!

-Stella


	15. A Bouquet

Chapter 15

Awhile had passed after the incident in the truck. I no longer tried to hide my feelings from anyone. When they saw me sad and depressed, they understood, but thankfully, not to the point where they pitied me. That's the last thing I needed.

The week of the truck incident, I cried a lot. It seemed that there were only a few waking hours total that I wasn't crying. But after that, I was all cried out. Sure, I was still just as depressed, but I figured crying was doing me no good. Visits to the hospital were still as frequent as ever; I couldn't get enough of that cute little face. My Rosie was doing so well. She started breathing on her own, but the eating part was still causing a problem. Slowly but surely, she was getting better.

One day, on my way to the hospital, I stopped at Luke's for a little pick me up in the form of coffee. It was early, too early in my opinion. 5:30 in the morning is too early for anything, but if I wanted to get to the hospital before it was crowded with all the other parents, I had to get there early. By that point, I didn't really care what I looked like, so I just threw my hair back in a messy pony tail, pulled on my jeans and an old sweatshirt, and slipped a comfy pair of sneakers on. As I passed the mirror on my way out the door, I caught a glimpse of my reflection. I looked so old, so tired. I couldn't wait for this whole ordeal to be over with.

The bells jingled merrily over my head as I walked into the diner. "Hey, Luke," I said quietly, leaning over the counter for a quick kiss.

"Hey, Lorelai. Coffee?"

"Please."

He set a mug in front of me and poured my coffee slowly. I breathed in the warm aroma, and immediately felt comforted.

"On your way to the hospital?"

"Aren't I always?" I said, picking up my mug and looking curiously into the contents.

"Is Rory going with you today?"

"No, not today. Not right now, anyway. I told her I'd let her miss school today if she wanted to come, but she's just going to hop on a bus to the hospital after school."

"That works. I'll probably stop in around then, too. Ceasar can handle things around here while I'm down there."

"Thanks."

I looked up to him and smiled weakly. After holding his gaze for a moment or two, I looked back down into my coffee mug. We sat in a comfortable silence until I was finished, and started to head out the door.

"Bye, Luke. I'll see you later."

"Bye."

My visit to the hospital was uneventful, as usual. Around 2 in the afternoon, I decided I needed a shower. Normally, I would feel horrible leaving her all alone, without any family with her, but Rory and Luke would be there soon, and I'd be heading straight back the second I was done with my shower.

I stepped out of the scalding hot shower about an hour later, and prepared myself to head back out the door. Just as I was about to turn the handle and head out, the phone rang. I walked over to the coffee table where the phone lay, sat on the couch, and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Mom?" I heard Rory's voice say frantically.

"Yeah, Rory, what's going on?" I immediately became concerned at the tone of her voice.

"You need to get back down here, right now!"

"Rory, what's wrong? What's wrong with her?"

"Just come, please! I already called Luke. He's on his way."

"Please, tell me what's wrong!"

"Mom, please, just come!"

I hung up the phone, and ran out the door to the jeep. I sped of towards the hospital, going at least 20 miles per hour over the speed limit the whole way there. About halfway there, I started to tear up. Everything was going so perfectly, and now this? It just wasn't fair. None of this was fair. What did I do to deserve this?

I pulled out my cell phone as I drove along the high way. I dialed the familiar number, and was glad when I heard the familiar voice on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Chris?" I said, through tears.

"Lor, what's wrong?"

"I don't know. Rory just called from the hospital and she said to get down there as soon as I could and she wouldn't tell me what's wrong, and… Chris, I'm so scared," I said frantically.

"Just, calm down, Lorelai. I'm sure everything is going to be fine. Where are you now?"

"I'm driving, on the high way."

"You're driving, crying, and talking on the phone all at the same time? That's dangerous, Lorelai. You have to pull over."

"No! No, I can't! I have to get there!"

"Lor, I'm gonna get on a plane and come as soon as I can. I'm leaving for the airport right now, but I'm gonna hang up. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Okay. Bye, Chris."

"Bye, Lor."

I finally made it to the hospital, and parked in the closest spot I could find. I got out of the car, and sprinted to the room where Rosie was. I came crashing through the door, almost knocking over a nurse that was coming out. I stopped abruptly as I entered the room, and slowly made my way over to where Rose, Rory, and Luke were. But, instead of being hooked up to a bunch of cords and lying helplessly, Rory was holding her, with no cords attached at all. It was the first time I'd seen her free from that crap. I was completely confused.

"Wh- what's going on here?" I asked, wiping away the tears that were still flowing from my eyes.

Rory handed my little girl to me. "She's coming home, Mom."

"She's… She's what?"

"She's coming home," Luke repeated.

I couldn't believe it. My face erupted into a huge smile. I looked down into my daughter's eyes, and whispered, "You're coming home."

All three of us stood there together, just staring at her for what seemed like an hour. Eventually, I looked up, and noticed something very unusual. There were flowers covering the little spot where Rosie called home. They were sitting on the window sill behind her little bed, on the floor, all over the desks, everywhere.

"What's all this?" I asked in amazement.

"A little 'Welcome Home' gift for Rose," Rory said. "Luke picked them all up on his way to the hospital."

"Oh my God," I whispered, in complete amazement. I turned around slowly, trying to take in all the flowers. There were pansies, and tulips, daisies, orchids, chrysanthemums, snapdragons, and begonias, dahlias, sunflowers, lilies of the valley, violets, baby's breath, azaleas… so many. It was then that I noticed, lying right in the bed my little girl had laid in for so long, was a single, long stemmed, red rose. It was then that I knew everything was going to be okay.

I looked back into her eyes. "You're coming home."

The End.

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Random Thought: Last night, I played a blank tape at full blast. The mime next door went nuts.


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